Fundraising account offers glimpse of Zahau family state of mind as trial continues

Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune

Mary Zahau-Loehner sat in court next to her attorney (Keith Greer) as a various witness testify during court proceedings in the civil case for the wrongful death of Rebecca Zahau in Coronado.

Mary Zahau-Loehner sat in court next to her attorney (Keith Greer) as a various witness testify during court proceedings in the civil case for the wrongful death of Rebecca Zahau in Coronado. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

It’s hard not to wonder what Rebecca Zahau’s sister and other family members are feeling as they relive the 32-year-old woman’s death through hours of detailed testimony in San Diego Superior Court.

Zahau’s body was found naked, bound and hanging from a balcony at her boyfriend’s Coronado mansion in July 2011.

County officials ruled the death a suicide, but Zahau’s family has long disputed that, leading to a wrongful death lawsuit in which they contend she was murdered.

A fundraising page that aims to help the family recoup costs associated with experts the family hired to testify offers a look into their state of mind.

The GoFundMe page, created by Zahau’s sister Mary Zahau-Loehner, was set up to raise $50,000 to help pay for a handful of experts — including a forensic pathologist and a kinesiologist— who were hired to help the family prove Rebecca Zahau was the victim of a homicide.

But it also doubles as a sort of diary. There are more than a dozen updates, each one referencing a different day in court.

“It was tough to see demonstration on lifelike arms and legs being tied along with pictures taken at crime scene and autopsy,” one entry read. “I am glad my mom did not have to see that and go through the heartbreak of visualizing what was done to her daughter.”

Rebecca Zahau’s death was discovered on July 13, 2011. Her arms and legs were tied behind her back, and a mysterious message was a painted on a bedroom door.

It read: “She saved him can you save her.”

After finding no evidence of foul play, the Sheriff’s Department determined she took her own life.

The family believes Zahau would never commit suicide, instead alleging in their lawsuit that Adam Shacknai — the brother of Zahau’s boyfriend, pharmaceuticals tycoon Jonah Shacknai — killed her.

Adam Shacknai was the only other person at the mansion when Zahau’s body was found. He cut the body down that morning and called 911.

Many of the journal-like entries on the GoFundMe page describe long and emotionally challenging days in court. There were passages dedicated to handwriting experts who analyzed the mysterious note on the door, kinesiologists and pathologists who discussed Zahau’s injuries, and the testimony of Adam and Jonah Shacknai.

“It is so frustrating to sit through and listen to them nitpicking her human mistakes as if they have not taken enough from her,” one of the entries read.

Other updates are dedicated to Rebecca Zahau. A couple of days before Mar. 15 — what would have been her birthday — an entry read, “I know she gets the best birthday party in heaven but testimonies of her murder would be topping on the cake towards justice long due.”

It’s also become an outlet of gratitude — a space where the family can thank those who have supported them during their lawsuit.

“I had to remind myself that there is so much good in humanity and God’s grace is in all of this despite of what I feel,” another entry read.